Kentucky high school seniors are willing to wait for in-person graduation ceremony

Kentucky high school seniors said this week they are willing to wait for an in-person graduation ceremony.

Members of the Kentucky Department of Education’s Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council said at a virtual meeting that having a graduation ceremony is very important to them, with the majority saying they would be willing to wait for an in-person event, a news release said.

Commencement ceremonies have been in doubt since in-person classes were canceled in mid-March. Coronavirus-driven social distancing at graduation may be difficult to achieve.

In a survey of council members, students ranked the importance of having a Class of 2020 graduation ceremony on a scale of 1 to 5 – with 5 being the most important. Of the 13 council members, the average answer was 4.23, meaning the students felt that having a ceremony was important.

As for what a potential ceremony could look like, nine of the 13 respondents said that a delayed graduation would be their choice. Other options receiving votes were a virtual graduation (three votes) and a drive-through ceremony (one vote).

The responses from the survey will be shared with superintendents and with a state task force of educators reviewing the COVID-19 outbreak’s effects on schools.

“We don’t make a decision as to what type of graduation ceremony you may have,” Interim Commissioner Kevin C. Brown told students. “But we are here to be a sounding board and to help districts explore other ideas since we are in new territory.”

“We want to make sure that we’re honoring these important milestones, and we may have to do these in a nontraditional way. That’s why we’re having the conversation,” Brown said.

The Herald-Leader asked some seniors on the Prichard Committee Student Voice Team how they thought graduation should be handled.

“To me, the experience is more important than timeliness,” said Will Byerman, a senior from Lexington’s Henry Clay High School. “I would rather wait until a little later in the summer and then have the opportunity to have an in-person graduation with my friends rather than have diplomas mailed to us or anything else.”

All 172 Kentucky school districts closed in-person classes and began instituting nontraditional instruction March 16.

Gov. Andy Beshear has said he would talk to superintendents during the week of April 20 about when the school year would be over. No decision has been made, but superintendents should be prepared not to return this school year, he said.

If schools reopen May 1, the Fayette Schools board is considering the option of designating June 3 the last day of school.

At a Fayette school board planning meeting Monday, district officials said they’ve been talking to officials at Rupp Arena about a variety of dates for graduation ceremonies, but they can’t make a decision yet.

Viasia Bramblett, a senior at North Hardin High School, said she thinks graduations should go on if Kentucky students are allowed to return May 1.

“I don’t see the reasoning not to if school is still in session. However, if we’re out for the rest of the year . . . we should do a celebration of a parade for the seniors to make it somewhat special because doing it through a screen doesn’t seem right,” she said.

Isaiah Sullivan, a senior at Ryle High School in Northern Kentucky, said he wants a graduation ceremony, even if it is later in the summer.

“I hope so because (otherwise) that would mean 13 years for nothing,” Isaiah said.

Amelia Loeffler, a senior at Lexington’s Lafayette High School, said the postponement of graduation is “a big disappointment.”

“As sad as I am to miss out on graduation, I don’t think it would be entirely appropriate to host a large gathering within the next couple of months,” she said.

Will, the Henry Clay student, said if Kentucky were still under the directive to avoid large gatherings by July 15, “then the drive-through graduation would be superior to the unceremonious mailing of diplomas.”